SORCE measured the Sun's output using radiometers, spectrometers, photodiodes, detectors, and bolometers mounted on a satellite observatory orbiting the Earth.

[4] SIM (Spectral Irradiance Monitor) was a 22 kg, 25 watts rotating Fery prism spectrometer with a bolometer output that covered the 200-2400 nm band at a resolution of a few nm, and at an irradiance accuracy of three parts in ten thousand.

The spacecraft had struggled with battery degradation problems since 2011, which prevented SORCE from conducting measurements full-time.

Ground teams switched to daytime-only observations, effectively allowing SORCE to operate with no functioning battery through its solar panels.

[8] Left to drift in orbit, SORCE is projected to re-enter the atmosphere in 2032, with most of the spacecraft expected to burn up during re-entry.